Photo Gallery: Squid

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Caribbean Reef Squid

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

More than 280 species of squid live in the oceans worldwide. Many are masters of transformation, able to change their skin color and pattern in seconds to stalk prey, escape enemies, attract mates, stand up to rivals, and communicate with one another. Here, a Caribbean reef squid defends its claim to a nearby female by flashing an aggressive zebra pattern, just one of about three dozen designs in its wardrobe.

Longfin Inshore Squid

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Clouds of longfin inshore squid head to the shallow, green waters of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, each May to spawn. Squid move using jet propulsion, contracting their bodies and forcing water through a moveable funnel beneath their eyes.

Jumbo Squid

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Call it a case of dye or die. Many squid are armed with reserves of ink, which they use to cloud the water and disorient their attackers, giving themselves a chance to escape. Here, a Humboldt squid, also known as a jumbo squid, expels greenish ink before fleeing from a photographer.

Jumbo Squid Tentacles

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Squid belong to the class of mollusks known as cephalopods, which includes octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. Most squid have eight arms and two long feeding tentacles, which feed into a central mouth armed with a sharp, parrot-like beak.

Caribbean Reef Squid

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Caribbean reef squid have torpedo-shaped bodies and, unlike most of their fellow squid, ten arms instead of eight. Their enormous blue eyes represent the largest eye-to-body ratio of any animal on Earth.

Opalescent Inshore Squid

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Opalescent inshore squid, like these off the coast of California, take the mass production approach to species survival. At mating time, a female will litter the seafloor with hundreds of white, fingerlike egg cases containing more than 50,000 eggs.

Squid Egg Sacs

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Female Caribbean reef squid deposit only three or four eggs in each milky case, then carefully hide them among the furrows of a reef. After about three weeks, an embryo has fully functional eyes and will hatch in five more days.

Caribbean Squid and Coral

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Most squid species prefer deep ocean waters far from land. But Caribbean reef squid like these have developed an affinity for sun-bathed shallows. When spooked, this quick-change artist can change its color and skin pattern to match the mottled reef below.

Humboldt Squid Tentacles

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Squid on the hunt can whip out their feeding tentacles in about 20 milliseconds, almost faster than the human eye can see. Humboldt squid like this one have an added threat: tiny hooks embedded in their suckers to latch onto prey.

Humboldt Squid

Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic

Living hundreds of feet deep in the eastern Pacific, jumbo squid frequently rise to the surface and will attack anything—including divers. Their average size is about four to five feet (one to two meters) long and 150 to 200 pounds (70 to 90 kilograms), but some behemoths can reach twelve feet (four meters), including tentacles.

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